Install Chef

Choose to install either Chef Client or Chef Server and follow the instructions below.

Download options

Installing the Chef Client

Select the kind of system you would like to install the Chef Client on.
The versions listed have been tested and are supported.

Installing the Chef Server

Select the kind of system you would like to install the Chef Server on.
The versions listed have been tested and are supported.

Installer FAQ

What does the installer do?

The installer detects what operating system you are running, then and installs the most appropriate version of Chef for you.

Will it interfere with any other applications?

No, it won't. The installer includes everything you need to run Chef in one bundle, and installs directly to /opt/chef, a directory created specifically to hold it.

Will it automatically start running a service?

No. People run Chef in many different configurations - we leave it up to your policy to decide how Chef should be running on an on-going basis.

Can I install as a user other than root?

Not at this time - the installation process assumes that it has privileges to install native packages and write files on your system.

Can I install to a directory other than /opt/chef?

No. In order to ensure that we do not interfere with your standard system libraries, we link specifically to libraries in /opt/chef. The result is that the installed packages are not easy to relocate.